2006年VOA标准英语-US Field of Democratic Presidential Candidates

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington
28 December 2006
 
Watch Democratic Presidential 2008

Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, the Democratic Party's 2004 candidate for vice¹ president, has announced he is running for the Oval Office itself.  He joins two other announced candidates and a number of others who are reported considering a run for the White House in 2008.  As VOA's Peter Fedynsky reports, two of those prospects² are already attracting considerable attention.

 
John Edwards is interviewed by morning television news shows in New Orleans, 28 Dec. 2006
John Edwards' announcement was preceded by numerous appearances in the grassroots of American politics.  They include a fundraiser in North Dakota, a book-signing in Georgia, and repeat visits to Iowa.  Iowa traditionally holds the nation's first presidential caucus³ and often sets the tone for the campaign.  Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, however, is not an Edwards supporter; Vilsack announced his candidacy for president last month. 

Joining Edwards and Vilsack is Ohio Congressman⁴ Dennis Kucinich, who campaigned for the White House in 2004.  He announced he would run again on December 12.  Kucinich says he wants to rally Americans around an issue likely to have considerable weight in the 2008 contest. "To the cause of ending a deepening tragedy in Iraq.  To the cause of repairing America's reputation in the world," he said.

 
Hillary Clinton

Iraq is an important issue among anti-war Democrats⁵, who could influence their party's presidential nomination⁶.  Analysts⁷ say this could harm the chances of New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has had difficulty defending her Senate vote for the war.  Nonetheless, Clinton generates excitement as an individual with a serious chance of becoming America's first female president.

Senator Clinton was recently asked on a popular daytime television show, ABC's The View about a public opinion poll that puts her ahead of several leading Republican presidential prospects. 

"It's very early, for anybody," she said.  "Obviously a lot a people are thinking about it and I am as well, trying to sort all of this out myself."

Also receiving rock star treatment is Illinois Senator Barak Obama, a newcomer who was elected to the Senate just two years ago. Obama, whose eloquence⁸ has brought him national attention, would become America's first African-American president, if elected.  He was asked about his popularity on The Tonight Show, a late-night NBC television network program.

 
Barack Obama
"I think I'm sort of a stand-in right now for the American people being interested in a different kind of politics," he said. "And to some degree, maybe, I've come to represent some of that." 

Analysts say Obama's and Clinton's ability to raise funds could quickly force other candidates out of the race.  Indeed, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh has already withdrawn⁹ his name from consideration. 

But Delaware Senator Joe Biden is ready to compete.  The Senate's incoming Foreign Relations Committee chairman says he will set up an appropriate funding mechanism¹⁰ for his presidential campaign in January. 

A big question mark among Democrats is former Vice President Al Gore¹¹, the Party's 2000 presidential candidate.  While Gore says he cannot imagine running, he has declined to rule out the possibility.  He won the popular vote in 2000, but lost a disputed electoral count that was decided¹² in President Bush's favor by the U.S. Supreme¹³ Court.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

3 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

4 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

7 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

8 eloquence   

n.雄辩；口才，修辞

参考例句：

• I am afraid my eloquence did not avail against the facts.恐怕我的雄辩也无补于事实了。
• The people were charmed by his eloquence.人们被他的口才迷住了。

9 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

10 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

11 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。